Russia have been shelling the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol "non-stop for 12 hours," said the city's mayor Vadym Boychenko as he appealed to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with a request to help in the defense of the city

"They have been flattening us non-stop for 12 hours now," he said on air of Ukraine 24 TV channel. "We cannot even take the wounded from the streets, from houses and apartments today, since the shelling does not stop."

Boychenko referred to Russia's actions as a "genocide" – using the same word that Putin has used to justify the invasion.

According to Ukrainian officials, the Russian army is shelling peaceful neighborhoods to intimidate civilians. The rockets hit residential buildings, hospitals and dormitories for displaced persons.

The Ukrainian military continues to repulse the Russians and has not surrendered Mariupol, but the situation in the city remains difficult.

Electricity appeared in the city, mobile communications were restored as much as possible, Boychenko claimed. "We baked bread at night and made it three times as big. Some 26 tons of bread appeared in our stores," the mayor said.

Boychenko stressed that the authorities are working to ensure that the work of public utilities is as well-coordinated as possible in a war.

"Unfortunately, we again receive bad news, the number of wounded civilians is growing every day," he said. "Today there are 128 people in our hospitals. Our doctors don't even go home anymore. They are fighting for the lives of Mariupol residents. Doctors are also our heroes," he added.

According to him, the military of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and the Azov Regiment are also working without sleep and rest.

The British Ministry of Defense said that air and artillery strikes on populated urban areas have increased over the past two days. It also stated that Kharkiv and Mariupol were surrounded by Russian troops and that the troops reportedly moved into the center of a third city, Kherson.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have captured Kherson, although this claim has not been confirmed.